Member Spotlight: "French Nathalie"

1) How long have you been a member of AX Fitness? I started October of 2015, so it is coming up on 11 months! Time flies when you have fun...;-)

2) What are your fitness goals? When I came to AX, I had one goal in mind: to get toned. After one class, I understood that getting toned should be the least of my concerns...instead I needed to work on my endurance, expand my lung capacity, and strengthen my entire body. I am mainly focused on strengthening my bones, the muscles around my joints, and keeping a strong core for good posture. If I get toned in the process: bonus!

3) How has AX Fitness helped you achieve your fitness goals? AX Fitness offers variety. You can join at the easiest level and sweat your way to more challenging classes. That is key. I started with the Cardio Box class which made me realize how 'out of shape' I truly was. I had done yoga 3 times a week for several years and had flexibility and some core strength, but my endurance was shit! That first class was brutal :-) Within 5 months, I could end this class and not feel exhausted. It was rewarding and empowering. I knew I was ready for the next step up. AX Box has been a fun change of pace providing some weight training in addition to some boxing. I am already looking forward to trying other more challenging classes in the future. Since joining AX, I lost fat, gained muscle and started jogging... A few years back, I would feel pain in my left knee every time I jogged. I know that my weekly workout at AX is making jogging possible again without pain.

4) What is it about AX Fitness that keeps you coming back for more? Christine and her approach to coaching: she is a beast of a trainer. She knows exactly what exercise you need to do to push a little farther every single time and yet keep it attainable so you don't get discouraged. Her classes are never boring. Never. How amazing is that?? Beyond the desire to remain healthy and fit, my time at AX has made me 1) appreciate the community I joined and the friendships I have developed, 2) enjoy the emotional well-being that exercising provides, and 3) understand that exercising/fitness cannot be a phase in someone's life; it needs to be sustainable and sustained; it is as necessary as eating healthy and brushing your teeth daily. I keep coming back because all of these benefits are priceless and I am having fun :)

5) How do you say "the trainer loves burpees" in French? Hahaha! "L'entraineuse adore les burpees" :) Really, I googled it. There are no French equivalent to burpees... probably because no French person would ever come up with this type of self-inflicted torture!

Nathalie Squire is pictured below on the left with the Trainer. She recently had a film crew come in to AX Fitness. They filmed her and took photos as trained. They will be using it to encourage others to live a healthy lifestyle.